ROWing Through Fall Creek - Butler University

ROWing through Fall Creek
CONNECTIVITY:
The results of the Complete Streets analysis show a great need for improvement in the Mapleton Fall Creek
area in order to improve connectivity. The analysis shows the area is heavily lacking in lighting, curb extensions,
bus, and bike lanes. R.O.W. will work to improve connectivity by improving or adding these features
to the community. The lighting found in the community is all street lighting and there are no path lights
for pedestrians. Curb extensions will also make it safer for people to cross streets and will encourage more
walking. Bus and bike lanes, while not as feasible to implement, will also greatly improve connectivity and
encourage use. R.O.W. will not put their resources into improving sidewalks, as they are in pretty good condition.
Instead, R.O.W. will focus on making the community safer by implementing curb extensions and
pedestrian lighting. They will also work to provide bike and bus lanes. Incorporating these aspects into the
neighborhood will improve connectivity.
Due to the lack of crosswalks and stoplights found in the focus area, R.O.W. will make effort to work with
the city of Indianapolis to make Fall Creek Parkway and surrounding areas more pedestrian friendly. Increasing
the number of crosswalks will improve pedestrian and driver safety. It will also make residents more
likely to visit the waterway area.
The survey of MFCN residents shows many people do not know where their water comes from. Increasing
people’s awareness on the source of their water will have a positive effect on the quality of that source. If
people knew where their water comes from and know the effect they have on it, they will treat that source
more respectfully.
A question the survey asked was, “Would you be interested in learning more about your relationship with
Fall Creek?” It appears that the sample population is overwhelmingly interested in learning more. Moving
forward, it will be the responsibility of R.O.W. to use this information and to decide whether providing this
knowledge to the Fall Creek community will be beneficial to the R.O.W. initiative.
ECOLOGY:
The results from the Stream Assessment show that the three sections of Fall Creek that were sampled are at
least of marginal conditions and quality. There are also some areas of the river that are suboptimal. Overall,
the condition of the river is in good shape and offers potential to be revived into a thriving waterway, for both
human use and for habitats for wildlife and plant life.
A major way to improve the river is to expand the buffer areas surrounding the river. This will limit the
amount of human activities near the water, mostly by residential living areas, and will reduce its harming
effects on the water. By having R.O.W. reassess the condition and quality of the water and make efforts to
vitalize the surroundings, it will create an attraction for human interests and wildlife populations.
Manual honeysuckle removal, followed by seeding of native species in order to encourage native species
growth in the area, will be the most effective plan for R.O.W. This will allow for the discouragement of honeysuckle
growth, while encouraging native species to grow in the same area.
Based on data from the Marion County Health Department, it appears that the combined sewer overflows
have an impact on the water quality, but it varies on a monthly basis, depending on rainfall. The results for
E.coli are inconclusive at this point, because there is not enough data to compare a full year, and the levels
appear to fluctuate randomly, or based on rainfall. The nitrate levels increase later in the year, possibly due
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